Enter in through the Narrow Gate and Walk on the Constricted Way that Leads to Life

As kingdom people, we need to enter through the narrow gate and walk on the constricted way that leads to life, having a living and a working that is always narrow and constricted according to the Lord’s pattern by walking in spirit and being vital, bearing fruit in a normal way, and being trimmed by the Lord to bear much fruit.

Oh Lord Jesus, may we be the few who enter through the narrow gate and walk on the constricted way that leads to life! Amen, Lord, we don’t want to enter through the wide gate and walk on the broad way that leads to destruction. Grow in us in a normal way. Bring us on with You. May we take the God-ordained way that leads to life in all things. May we find this gate and walk on this way! Amen!

This week in our prayerful consideration of the crucial aspects in Matthew chapters five through seven we come to the topic of, Entering through the Narrow Gate and Walking on the Constricted Way That Leads to Life, the Ever-blessed Condition of the Kingdom.

This refers mainly to the living and work of the kingdom people. We have seen a number of crucial aspects of the kingdom life lived out by the kingdom people and we also saw something concerning the nature of the kingdom people.

What is the basis for us to carry out our work and service? Often we like to learn how to serve the Lord and work for Him, and this is very crucial, but what kind of basis, ground, and foundation do we have to carry out our service?

In Matthew chapter seven, we see not just the way to serve the Lord but even more, the ground of our living, service, and work for the Lord.

We need to enter through the narrow gate and walk on the constricted way which leads to the reward of life.

There is a difference between a gate and a way; oftentimes we walk a certain journey and take that way, and then we reach a destination to a door, a gate, an entrance.

But here the Lord reversed the order: first, we enter through a gate and then we walk a way.

The gate presents to us a transition point to transfer us from one position to another. We may be in the lobby and, after entering through a door, we are in a different room.

In our Christian life, we first need to enter through a gate, which is narrow and not wide, and then walk on a particular way, which is constricted and not broad.

May the Lord shine on us to show us what this means in our Christian life.

We have believed into Christ, and now we are in Christ; we are now in the realm of Christ.

But now, after entering through the gate, we must walk on the way; there’s a journey behind the gate, and this journey is progressive, gradual, and lifelong.

We enter through the gate instantly, we consecrate to the Lord instantly, but now we walk on the way for the rest of our life. This is a lifelong journey.

Enter in through the Narrow Gate and Walk on the Constricted Way that Leads to Life

In the decree of the kingdom’s constitution, Christ showed us two possible ways for us to live and work before God, as seen in Matthew 7:13-14.

He said that we need to enter through the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter through it. Because narrow is the gate and constricted is the way that leads to life, and few are those who find it.

If there is a wide gate, it is easy to get through it, and if there’s a broad way, it is easy to walk on it. But the narrow gate is not so easy; you may even have to squeeze through, and the constricted way is also not easy, for it is very pressing.

We have entered through the narrow gate, and now we have to walk on the constricted way.

Day by day we need to choose either the wide way, the broad way that leads to destruction, or the narrow gate and the constricted way that leads to life.

As we consider our work and living before the Lord as kingdom people, for us to live in the reality of the kingdom, we need to take the narrow way, the constricted path, that leads to life.

Not many find this gate and take this way. The big majority take the wide gate and broad way; however, the Lord wants to gain a small minority, a remnant, of those who cooperate with the Father’s life to take the narrow and constricted way that leads to life.

May the Lord shine on us in this matter. It is not enough for us to just be zealous, diligent, faithful, and productive in our work for the Lord and living before Him; we need to consider what is the ground we are taking to carry that work.

Do we take the broad way that involves people’s welcome, praise, and appreciation? Or do we take the constricted way that hardly anyone knows, appreciates, or praises?

The way that leads to life is the way that leads to a living reward in life. This way is the Way (Acts 9:2; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:22)—the way of the truth (2 Pet. 2:2), the straight way (v. 15), the way of righteousness (v. 21), the way of peace (Luke 1:79; Rom. 3:17), the way of salvation (Acts 16:17), the way of God (Matt. 22:16; Acts 18:26), and the way of the Lord (John 1:23; Acts 18:25).

If we take the way that leads to life, the issue is life as a reward; the totality of life will be the New Jerusalem.

We have received life at the time of our regeneration, but now we need to cooperate with the heavenly, divine life within us to take the constricted way so that we will be issued in the totality of life as a living reward of life.

May we take the way, the way that leads to life. Thank the Lord we are on this way; may we remain on this constricted way. The way prescribes a certain path with certain lanes.

A way is not a field where you go and roam about wherever you want to go; a way prescribes us to a certain direction. The way we take is the way of truth, the way of righteousness, the way of salvation.

We are not like the rest of the people around us; we are entering through the narrow gate and walking on the constricted way.

This means that we as kingdom people live under a certain regulation and restriction; we are restricted by the truth, by righteousness, and by God’s salvation.

This is not the way of tradition; it is the way of God, the way of the Lord, and the way of salvation. As we remain on the way that leads to life, we enjoy the dispensing of God into us.

Actually, this way is Christ Himself, for He said in John 14:6 that He is the way.

Christ as the person is our way; He has a personality, a will, a mind, and an emotion, and we are under His direction and control.

The broad way leads to destruction; this way is according to the worldly systems, satisfying the natural tastes; to get the crowd, to maintain a career of man, and to achieve man’s enterprise (Matt. 13:31-33; Rev. 2:13, 20; 17:4-5).

There is a way called the broad way; this way is taken by everyone in the world, and it is the way of being welcome, having success, and having prosperity. It seems that it is such a good way, but it leads to destruction.

In the church life today we need to take the narrow way; we are not after great numbers of people, nor are we after having a mega church. Rather, we want to take the way of life, the way that leads to life.

We want to be like a mustard seed, which grows and is small, nourishing people and satisfying God, not being a great and high tree where all the evil things and people roost in.

May we know the ground we take for our service and living before God. May we not take the worldly way but the constricted way, the way that pleases the Lord.

If we take the worldly way, the broad way, everyone will welcome us, but if we take the constricted way, we may not be that welcomed.

The constricted way leading to life is according to the divine regulations, fulfilling the spiritual requests; to bring God’s elect to bear the testimony of Jesus Christ and to carry out God’s economy for the building up of the Body of Christ (Rom. 1:9; Heb. 11:5-6; Rev. 1:1-2, 9-10).

We are not here for man’s welfare or success; we are here for God, to gain what is His heart and build up His testimony, the Body of Christ, for His expression.

Lord Jesus, we want to enter through the narrow gate and walk on the constricted way that leads to life. Oh Lord, may we not take the wide gate or walk on the broad way, which leads to destruction! We open to You, Lord, and we give ourselves to You. Thank You for bringing us on the way of life. Keep us on the way that leads to life so that we may have a living reward in life. We want to take the way, the way of the truth, the straight way, the way of righteousness, the way of peace, the way of salvation, the way of God, the way of the Lord! Amen, Lord, we take You as our way. We want to walk on the constricted way today, leading to life. May our walk be according to the divine regulation to fulfill Your spiritual requests. May we not choose the worldly way, the way that is full of success and prosperity, leading to destruction. Oh Lord, may we be those who walk on the constricted way to bear the testimony of Jesus Christ and carry out the economy of God for the building up of the Body of Christ!

The God-ordained Way is to have a Living and Working that are Always Narrow and Constricted by Walking in Spirit

If we read John 15 we see that the Lord told us to abide in Him; if we abide in Him, we grow, we bear abundant fruit, and the Father prunes us, trimming away anything that is hindering the growth of life.

We do not see anything of a miracle in this; we only see the way of life, even the constricted way, for the vine tree is pruned severely in order to grow.

The God-ordained way is for us to have a living and a work that is always narrow and constricted, according to the pattern of the Lord’s indescribable life and ministry (John 5:19, 30; 4:34; 17:4; 14:10, 24; 7:16, 18).

What is the God-ordained way for us to live and work in the church life for the building up of the Body of Christ? It is not merely to take certain steps and carry out certain practices; it is the narrow and constricted way according to the Lord’s pattern.

The God-ordained way involves our going to people, preaching the gospel, shepherding people in the homes, teaching them in the small groups, perfecting them, and then building up the church through prophesying. This is the framework of the God-ordained way.

This way, however, is a narrow and constricted way. God’s ordained way is a constricted way, even as the Lord Jesus took the constricted way when He was on the earth.

Others around Him always could do this and that, go here and there, but He was limited by the Father’s timing; He did not speak His own words but the Father’s words, and He did not do His own work but the work the Father gave Him to do.

In whatever He said, He spoke not of Himself but what He heard from the Father.

We today need to take the narrow and constricted way that leads to life. We in the Lord’s recovery must walk in our spirit; such a walk restricts us, causing us to live a normal Christian life and making us vital (Rom. 8:4; Gal. 5:16, 22-23; 1 Thes. 5:16-18).

When we walk according to our spirit habitually, we will be healthy believers who take the way of life for God’s building. Walking in spirit sets us free, but at the same time, it regulates us to the uttermost, restricting us.

We need to exercise our spirit and walk in spirit; this will cause us not to eat certain things, not to go to certain places, not to listen to certain things, and not to speak certain things, for we are taking the constricted way that leads to life.

The Spirit within us restricts us, causing us to live a normal Christian life and making us vital and healthy believers. May we live such a life today.

May we take such a way today. May we not throw away the restriction of the Spirit in our spirit, and may we not try to break free from the restriction and constraining in the environment the Lord has arranged for us.

Even in our labouring for the Lord, we need to learn to restrict ourselves according to the measure that the God of measure has apportioned to us (2 Cor. 10:13-15).

The constricted way defines for us God’s measure. Each one of us has a certain measure, which the God of measure gives to us.

God measures each one of us a particular measure, and we should not assume that if we have the zeal, the means, and the ability, now we can do everything. Rather, God has measured something in particular to us, and we say Amen.

The apostle Paul had a great portion and a great measure, yet he took the constricted way and walked on it. He didn’t just preach publicly but even more, from house to house, admonishing the saints night and day (Acts 20:19-20, 31).

He had much hardship and difficulty, yet he admonished the saints and taught them. He did not just give them a lecture, but tutored each one in their home.

The more we are constricted, the more we are regulated. The more we are regulated the more we are healthy. For us to be vital is for us to be healthy.

May we not depend on or ask for miracles but take the way of labouring on the Lord and in the church, even admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom so that we may present every man full-grown in Christ (Col. 1:28-29).

Lord Jesus, may we take the God-ordained way in the church life today, always having a living and a work that are narrow and constricted. Amen, Lord, we want to follow the pattern of Your indescribable life and ministry. Infuse us with Yourself and live in us such a life today. Amen, Lord, may we walk in our spirit so that we may be restricted to live a normal Christian life. Hallelujah, living a normal Christian life by living in the spirit is being vital and healthy believers! Amen, Lord, want to take the way of life for Your building! May we allow You to restrict us as the God of measure in our labouring for the Lord so that we may labour according to the measure You apportion to us. May we see that, the more we are restricted, the more we are regulated, and the more we are healthy spiritually! Amen, Lord, make us healthy, vital Christians who labour in the Lord and over the saints, even admonishing and teaching every man so that we may present every man full-grown in Christ!

References and Hymns on this Topic

• Inspiration for this article/sharing comes from the Word of God, the enjoyment in the ministry, a sharing by the brothers on this topic, and portions from, Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1993, vol. 2, “The Training and the Practice of the Vital Groups,” ch. 13, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crucial Aspects of Matthew 5 through 7 (2025 September ITERO), week 7, Entering through the Narrow Gate and Walking on the Constricted Way That Leads to Life, the Ever-blessed Condition of the Kingdom – day 1.
• Hymns on this topic:
  – Who then will choose God’s best, / And take the narrow track, / Though passing thru the wildest storms, / Yet never turning back? / Who now will dare press on, / Enduring pain and fear? / All such will then rejoice to see / Jesus, the Lord, is near! (Hymns #893 stanza 5)
  – Since it must be thus, I pray, Lord, / Help me go the narrow way; / Deal with pride and make me willing / Thus to suffer, Thee t’obey. / I for greater power pray not, / Deeper death is what I need; / All the meaning of the Cross, Lord, / Work in me—for this I plead. (Hymns #279 stanza 6)
  – Rescue the perishing, / Duty demands it; / Strength for thy labor the Lord will provide; / Back to the narrow way, / Patiently win them; / Tell the poor wand’rer a Savior has died. (Hymns #921 stanza 4)